10.00am-11.00am Eastern Summer Time, Thursday 17 December 2015

In April 2015 the National Mental Health Commission released its National Review of Mental Health Programmes and Services. The review provided

"a strong, achievable and practical plan for modernising and reforming Australia’s mental health system and ultimately improving the lives of millions of Australians".

Last month the Australian Government responded to the Review stating it aimed "to transform Commonwealth mental health funding and leadership over the next three years to achieve a more efficient, integrated and sustainable mental health system and to improve mental health service delivery for Australians".What will the changes mean for mental health services and their clients in rural and remote areas?

Winner Again.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres announced today that Boggabri Drovers’ Campfire will receive NSW Government funding under the 2016 Regional Flagship Events Program, which aims to increase visitation to the fabulous festivals of regional NSW.

The Drovers’ Campfire event plays an important role in Boggabri’s economy, helping to attract people to the beautiful area and also showcasing what is unique about our region.

In 2015 over 2,200 people attended the event, which has grown considerably since being established in 2006.

Sara Ciesiolka Opinion piece in The Guardian today

Farmers and traditional land owners are petitioning the Coag meeting of mining and energy ministers to control their livelihood, and their land

As a large scale food producer on the extremely valuable and productive lands just downstream from the largest of the State’s proposed gas hotspots at Narrabri, I live daily with the knowledge, and the stress, that ultimately we are powerless to refuse access for coal seam gas extraction on our land.

This is land that we have successfully toiled over for generations to build into a sustainable and productive enterprise capable of feeding hungry mouths both at home and abroad.

For our city cousins, it’s like someone knocking on your front door, demanding to be let inside, and taking up residence in your living room and making a mess. Sometimes they don’t even bother to knock.

The balance of power is skewed heavily in favour of the coal seam gas companies, who have all the rights, against individual landholders, who have nothing but risk.

On Friday there is a meeting of Council of Australian Governments (Coag) mining and energy ministers, and federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg has promised landholders that the issue of a farmer’s right to say ‘no’ will be on the agenda.

Seventy-nine farmers, landholders and traditional owners, including myself, from every state and territory across Australia have sent a letter to minister Frydenberg and the state ministers, calling on them to grant us this right.

The signatories include beef graziers, wine-makers, and landholders struggling in the centre of the Queensland gasfields, the coalfields of the Hunter Valley, and traditional owners from the Kimberley, the Northern Territory and New South Wales.

Free trees available from North West Local Land Services

If you are keen to plant a few native trees in our region, then take a look at the details attached.

Expressions of interest are being taken until 12 February 2016.

North West Local Land Services is seeking requests from landholders, nongovernment organisations,
government departments, clubs, schools and community groups for free trees.

• trees will be available for pick up in winter 2016
• all species are native to North West NSW and come in hiko trays
• over 30 different species available
• up to 1000 trees available per request
• to apply, complete all sections over page.

By Jamieson Murphy Northern Daily Leader

NORTHERN landholders want the NSW government to give them the right to say no to mining companies, when the Council of Australia Governments (COAG) Energy Council meets this week.

Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg will hold discussions with his state counterparts, including NSW Energy Minister Anthony Roberts, on Friday.

Gunnedah farmer and Mary’s Mount Protection Alliance chairman Phil Herbert said it was vital the meeting delivered tangible action and gave farmers, landholders and traditional owners the power to refuse mining companies access to their land.

Totally Speedway great writeup on the Newtown Park Speedway Narrabri

The strong start to the 2015-16 season continued for Shane Cartwright when he last Saturday night at Narrabri’s Newton Park Speedway triumphed in the feature race.

Despite it only being Cartwright’s second outing of the season and his first visit to the Newton Park Speedway track, he qualified third for the feature race after a third, win and a DNF (due to front-end damage after a collision with John Markulin) in his three heat races. From the drop of the green flag, Cartwright managed to work his way into the lead by the completion of the opening lap and that was where he stayed until the fall of the chequered flag.